I know Mt. St. Helens well. I was born in Kelso. She was 'our' mountain. She was also called 'Fire Mountain'. Spirit lake was a favorite place and my aunt had a horse ranch on the Toutle River.

When she blew, I was sleeping in my peaceful, B.C. island home. I jumped out of bed and screamed, "What was that?" I ran to the radio and turned it on. When I heard that Spirit Lake had filled with lava and was no more, my knees went out from under me.

I had no idea that I was so connected to that mountain until then. I still wonder at the impact it had on me from so far away. I guess you tend to think that something that big has some kind of permanence. Was I ever wrong! It actually felt like my world was slipping away.

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